3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Utterly charming. Would you comment please on the violinist's body movements, for so many string players do this in solo work, and yet do not in chamber music ensembles and orchestra work. A non-string player is curious. Great piece, lovely sound and wonderful humor.

When playing as part of an orchestra or chamber music group, violinists do their best to "merge" with the others physically as well as musically. There is a certain freedom connected with playing in a duo with a pianist, and when the music is as physical as the Ravel, a certain amount of movement is part of what makes the music sound its best on the violin. When the spirit moves, so do we.

I am active as a composer, a violist, a violinist, a recorder player, and as a teacher. I began my professional musical life as a flutist, and spent a lot of quality time as a baroque flutist, but I no longer have my baroque flute. Now my modern flute spends most of its time tucked away in a drawer, while my violin, viola, and my viola d'amore are often tucked under my chin.